Place

South America

Featured Items

Engraved, hand colored illustration. Labels in English read [top] "The Leguana or Iguana Lizard of Guiana, [bottom] "The Alligator or Cayman of Surinam."

Narrative, of a five years' expedition,

John Gabriel Stedman
1796
Detail of a colored manuscript chart shows a small cluster of homes and palm trees with text in English reading "Indian Village of Sancopana."

An actual survey of the River Orinoco from the great mouth up to the City of Angostura

1803
Detail of a printed map shows text in Spanish reading "La Puna" and other labels over landmarks.

Carta de la Provincia de Quito y sus Adjacentes

Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville
1750
Detail from a printed book shows text in Spanish including "Ensayo" at the top of the page.

Semanario del Nuevo Reyno de Granada

Francisco Jose de Caldas
1808
Book bound in white silk and decorated with the coat of arms of the Portuguese family and silver and gold beads.

Diario ecclesiastico para os Bispados do Rio de Janeiro, S. Paulo, e Marianna

1808
The spine and back cover of Lettre d'une Peruvienne shows deteriorated calf binding.

Lettres d'une Peruvienne

Françoise de Graffigny
1748
Detail of a printed book shows a decorative head piece on the title page written in Spanish.

Historia natural, civil y geográfica de las naciones situadaes en las riveras del Rio Orinoco

Joseph Gumilla
1791

Related

picture of Colombian Ambassador to the US with Cristina Soriano looking at book

JCB Brings Independence-era Materials to Residence of Colombian Ambassador in Washington, DC

September 11, 2019
Image from: Vue du Détroit de Tinquina. sur le Lac de Titicaca. Plateau des Andes. (Bolivia.) [Alcide Dessalines d'Orbigny 1844]. Original at the John Carter Brown Library.
Fellow's Talk

The Puquina Language in the Seventeenth-Century Andes

Black people work at a sugar mill with clouds and a palm tree outside

The Americas on Fire

19th century botanical guide by auguste de saint-hilaire

Plantes Usuelles des Brasiliens (Paris, 1824)

November 1, 2017
illustration of three large ships on water, people on river bank drag nets over the water

Entangled Histories of Empire and Science

October 12, 2017

See Also

Cosmography and Astrology

Religious Cultures